Thulite is a manganese-bearing variety of zoisite characterized by its distinct rose-pink to reddish-pink color. It typically occurs in massive or granular form within metamorphic rocks and is highly prized by lapidary collectors for carving and cabochons.
Is this thulite?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch thulite with a known reference. Thulite sits at Mohs 6-6.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Thulite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Thulite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: pink, reddish-pink, rose-red.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: massive, granular, rarely prismatic.
Often confused with
Thulite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside thulite
Minerals reported to co-occur with thulite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ca₂Al₃(SiO₄)₃(OH)
- Mohs hardness
- 6-6.5
- Density
- 3.1-3.4 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Massive, Granular, Rarely Prismatic
- Cleavage
- Perfect
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector, Lapidary, Decorative
- Host rock
- Metamorphic Rocks, Specifically Hydrothermally Altered Limestone and Skarns
- Typical price
- $10-50 for rough slabs, $50-200 for polished display specimens
Where rockhounds find thulite
8 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Leksvik, Norway
- Telemark, Norway
- Otter Lake, Canada
- San Bernardino County, USA
- Aust-Agder, Norway
Field-hunting tip
Look in metamorphic rocks, specifically hydrothermally altered limestone and skarns country, the host setting where thulite typically forms. If you start seeing calcite, quartz, tremolite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a massive, granular, rarely prismatic habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Nevada, North Carolina, Georgia. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find thulite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
